FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:
April 16, 2015 Camila Gallardo
cgallardo@nclr.org
(305) 215-4259
NCLR Applauds Bipartisan Effort On Education Bill; Remains Concerned About Accountability
New bipartisan proposal clears the Senate education committee
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted unanimously to send the “Every Child Achieves Act” to the Senate floor. NCLR (National Council of La Raza) applauds the leadership of Chairman Lamar Alexander (R–TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D–WA) on their bipartisan work in moving the bill this far.
“We are grateful for the efforts of members of Congress who have put the future of our nation’s children at the forefront of the discussion and joined together in this bipartisan effort,” said Delia Pompa, Senior Vice President of Programs, NCLR.
While the bill’s provisions contain many necessary and positive changes to No Child Left Behind, the proposal falls short when it comes to accountability provisions. For example, the bill currently does not require states to intervene when schools fail to serve our children. History has taught us that federal safeguards are necessary in order to protect some of our nation’s most vulnerable children, including Latino students and English learners.
“We look forward to working with the Senate in the coming days and weeks to help strengthen this legislation in a way that best protects the interests of our nation’s future—our children,” concluded Pompa.
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.
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